Pacifica High didn’t need the ball to take control of a playoff game on the road.
Host Chino Hills opened the CIF-Southern Section Division 3 semifinal with an 18-play drive. But Philip “PeeWee” Wilson blocked the resulting field-goal attempt and Deville Warner returned the loose ball 79 yards for the night’s opening score.
“That flipped the game,” Pacifica coach Mike Moon said.
Despite not taking an offensive snap in the first quarter, Pacifica jumped ahead 14-0 along the way to a 42-24 win on Friday, Nov. 21.
“Our offense was unstoppable tonight,” Moon said. “They just didn’t get on the field.”
Isaiah Phelps ran for 113 yards and a TD on 17 carries and also had a team-high 17 tackles — including two for a loss — and a fumble recovery on defense as the Tritons advanced to their third sectional final in six seasons.
Pacifica (13-0) will visit Palos Verdes (10-3) this Friday for the Division 3 championship.
“Job’s not done,” Moon said. “We’ve had specific goals for this year. The job is definitely not done, but we’re excited for the kids.”
Quarterback Taylor Lee completed 12 of 15 passes for 223 yards, four touchdowns and one interception.
Anthony Jacobs Jr. caught five passes for 95 yards and two TDs and Will Jones Jr. caught three passes for 48 yards and a TD.
With Pacifica missing both starting slot receivers because of injury, senior Abel Ramos stepped into the starting lineup and caught four passes for 80 yards and a TD.
“Our offense was explosive tonight,” Moon said. “In the second half, we just challenged our defense to get off the field on third downs.”
Lee’s 27-yard scoring strike to Jacobs put Pacifica up 14-0 in the second quarter.
After Chino Hills pulled to within 14-10 at the half, the Tritons scored 28 straight points to put the game away.
Phelps’ 2-yard TD run, Lee’s 44-yard scoring strike to Jacobs, Lee’s 28-yard TD pass to Ramos, and Lee’s 33-yard scoring strike to Jones gave the Tritons a 42-10 lead with 10 minutes to play.
“So we were able to rest some of our guys,” Moon said.
Warner had 10 tackles, including three for a loss, and a defensive score and Julian Villegas and Malaika Sione had sacks to lead the Pacifica defense.
Grace 49, Coachella Valley 42
Jake Williams’ 8-yard TD run with 48.5 seconds to play was the difference as the Lancers prevailed in a back-and-forth Division 12 semifinal in the mud on the road in Thermal.
The teams were tied at 7-7, 14-14, 21-21, 28-28, 35-35 and finally 42-42 with 4:46 left. Grace (10-3) took the ball and drove 69 yards in nine plays for the decisive points.
“We ran our four-minute offense and our offensive line … and Jake Williams said, ‘The season is on us,’ ” Grace coach Tom Coate said.
Jake Williams ran for 217 yards and two TDs on 35 attempts and Riley Williams completed 13 of 21 passes for 220 yards and three TDs and also ran for a score as Grace advanced to its 11th section final, the second-most in county history.
“Proud of the boys and how they played, how they fought the whole game,” Coate said. “It was a great effort from everyone.”
Grace will host Santa Paula for the Division 12 championship this Friday at Cal Lutheran University’s Rolland Stadium.
Santa Paula handed Grace a 45-34 loss in the season opener for both teams on Aug. 22.
“Can’t think of anything better,” Coate said.
Landon Cooper caught five passes for 61 yards and a TD and also ran for a TD. Jaadin Weyandt caught two TD passes.
Jaxson Berg had 14 tackles and two sacks, including the game-sealing sack in the final minute. Grayer Giuliani-Gibbons finished with 13 tackles.
Grace worked hard to slow Coachella Valley’s Ivan Camargo, who piled up 209 yards and four TDs on 23 carries. But the senior only had 45 yards after halftime.
“He was just amazing,” Coate said. “We had to stop him. We made the adjustments we needed at halftime and finally got the stops we needed.”
The recent rains had softened the natural playing surface, which made things difficult for the defenses.
“It was just so muddy everybody was sliding around,” Coate said. “There was zero traction out there. It was not great for defenses for sure.”
La Habra 20, Oaks Christian 7
Freshman Niko Bladow threw a 40-yard scoring strike pass to sophomore Jaxon Sharp to pull the Lions even 7-7 with 52 seconds left in the first half.
But the Lions (6-7) were shut out in the second half and fell in the sectional semifinals for the second straight season with the Division 4 loss.
Senior running back Deshonne Redeaux was held to 35 yards on 14 carries. Senior receiver Davon Benjamin was held to two receptions for 14 yards.
Bladow completed 8 of 16 passes for 88 yards, one TD and two interceptions.
Joe Curley covers football for The Star. He can be reached at joe.curley@vcstar.com. For more coverage, follow @vcspreps on Twitter/X, Instagram/Threads, Facebook and Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Pacifica starts fast and cruises into CIF-SS Division 3 final
Reporting by Joe Curley, Ventura County Star / Ventura County Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
